


starts // endings

by isloremipsumafterall



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-11 19:18:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5638762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isloremipsumafterall/pseuds/isloremipsumafterall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>beginnings, middles, and endings for Ashley and Kaidan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	starts // endings

**Author's Note:**

> for the nonshepardshipweek happening on tumblr

It starts when the team gets a little too drunk one night in victory of their recent skirmish at a Geth outpost.

 

Garrus had bet that Ashley couldn’t do one hundred push ups and she’d laughed and said, “Vakarian I could do one hundred with Alenko here sitting on my back.” And then set out to prove it.

 

“Alenko I need you,” Ashley grabbed his arm and grinned widely and Kaidan knew there and then it was a bad idea but did it anyway.

 

Ashley had not only gotten to one hundred but another twenty after that when Wrex, drunk as a Krogan could be, slapped Kaidan on the back while aiming for Ashley’s, sending the two of them toppling to the ground.

 

Ashley pushed herself up on her elbows, laughing uproariously, “You owe me some credits for that one Vakarian.”

 

“I didn’t even realize we were betting.” Garrus said but his mandibles shifted upwards in what was a Turian smile.

 

Kaidan looked over at Ashley, smiling happily and when she stood she offered her arm to him.

 

“Thanks for the help LT.”

 

“Anytime Gunnery.” Kaidan nodded.

 

He went to bed that night with alcohol making him dizzy and Ashley’s ‘I need you’ echoing in his brain.

 

~~

 

“You’ve never seen Star Wars?” Kaidan sounded incredulous, staring at Ashley.

 

“Kaidan we’re practically living it, what do I need to watch it for.” Ashley took another sip of her coffee.

 

“No, we need to fix this.” Kaidan shook his head, “It’s Star Wars, Ash.”

 

She sighed but five hours later found herself pressed up against Kaidan as the whole team watched the films.

 

“What do you think so far?” Kaidan asked her, breath ghosting over her ear and she turned to look at him, catching him smiling slightly in the glow from the vidunit.

 

“You know I feel with these Jedi, believing in something they can’t really explain but following it anyway.”

 

Kaidan’s eyes crinkled at the edges when he smiled wider, huffing in amused laughter.

 

“It’s amazing that some people can.” He said and Ashley knew he was referring to her and her own beliefs, it wasn’t a barb however thrown at her, just an honest statement and it made her smile in turn.

 

“Now pipe down LT, I’m trying to watch this.”

 

“I’ll quiz you on it later.” Kaidan told her, one last shot in and she elbowed him in the side as she leaned back again.

 

At some point his arm moved to rest over her shoulders but Ashley didn’t do anything to move it.

 

~~

 

“I think I’m going to be cleaning Thorian gunk out of my armour for months.” Ashley groaned when Kaidan met her in the cargo bay when she, Shepard, and Garrus rolled back in from their fight down below. “How are the colonists?”

 

“Everyone’s alive thankfully, we got your radio call right in time and restrained them all. After you took out that Thorian it was like they woke up from a trance or something.” Kaidan frowned, thinking back to it and supressed the shudder that something could take over your mind like that.

 

It was almost like a new kind of galaxy they’d ended up fighting in.

 

“Creepy.” Ashley said, echoing his thoughts.

 

Kaidan gave her a quick onceover, quietly assessing if he should drag her to the medbay and have Chakwas take a look but aside from one blast that hadn’t gone beyond her armour the shields had held.

 

“You know what we need?”

 

“What?” Ashley asked, shucking off her plates of armour to get to the plain black suit underneath without care that Kaidan was looking.

 

“A good meal. I’m thinking steak.” Kaidan leaned back against the wall closest to him, his hand stroking his chin in thought.

 

“It’s too bad there’s nothing but military rations on this ship.” Ashley sighed.

 

“Next time we’re at the Citadel though I’ll pick some up for us, make us a meal.”

 

“Should I be worried that might kill me faster than the Geth can?” Ashley teased.

 

“Oh I’m pretty good.”

 

“All right Alenko,” Ashley grinned at him one last time before she started walking over to the showers. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

 

Kaidan watched her leave, his eyes occasionally falling the line of her hips that swayed as she walked and he wondered if she was doing that on purpose.

 

~~

 

When Kaidan had nightmares his hands started to glow blue, almost a warning to everyone to stay away least his power lash out of his control but then his fist clenched and it was gone. Even in his sleep he maintained a balance and Ashley wondered if he knew he did that.

 

She only knew because she’d stopped in to see him in the medbay after he’d gotten himself banged up on a mission.

 

“You better not make a habit out of this LT,” She said, crossing her arms but the worry in her voice still bled through, “I might not always be here with a pretty face to greet you when you wake up.”

 

Despite that she stayed the night through and when Kaidan woke up, groaning about his latest bruises Ashley scoffed.

 

“Suck it up Alenko.” She joked, smiling. “I’ve gotten worse bruises than that just exercising.”

 

“Guess I’m just delicate.” Kaidan joked along with her, his own smile changing to a wince as he moved.

 

She helped him sit up, ignoring the warm skin under her palm.

 

“You’ll survive.” She said, breathing a quiet sigh of relief.

 

Kaidan grunted his agreement and slipped back off to sleep. Ashley took another seat in the chair, opening up a book of poems and reading the ones to Kaidan she thought he’d like best.

 

~~

 

It ended a good luck kiss on the sandy beaches of Virmire, with the sun shining down on them, too beautiful a day for what was about to happen.

 

“Take care Kaidan.” Ashley leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek and Kaidan turned just in time, his lips brushing her own.

 

“You too Ash,” His hand fell on hers, fingers lightly squeezing her own through the gloves and armour plating.

 

They walked away thinking there’d be more.

 


End file.
